Target.



No. 859,256. PATENTED JULY 9, 1907. H. A. SHAULBS.

TARGET.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 11, 1906.

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No. 859,256. PATENTED JULY 9, 1907'.

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IVVENTUH W Mai M HERBERT A. SHAULES, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

TARGET.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 9, 1907.

Application filed September 11. 1906. Serial No. 334,126.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HERBERT A. SHAULES, a citizen of the United States, residing in borough of Manhattan, in the county of New York and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Targets, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to an amusement or sporting apparatus designed for use in fairs and other amusement resorts.

The object of the invention is to provide at low cost an attractive apparatus upon which the player may test his skill in throwing the ball.

I construct a large target to resemble a negros head, at which the ball may be thrown. The player aims to strike either eye of the head, and the target is so constructed that the eye may be put out by the ball. In practice, I construct both eyes so that each may be put out independently of the other, and I also provide an opening in the negros mouth through which a ball may pass, and a net behind the opening to catch the ball; so that the proprietor of the target may promote his business by offering a prize to anybody putting out both eyes, and also throwing a ball through the mouth of the target. Means are provided for restoring both eyes to normal position, and other details and advantages will be hereinafter referred to.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a front elevation of one form of target constructed in accordance with my invention. Fig. 2 is an edge or side elevation, and Fig. 3 a rear elevation of the same. Fig. 4 is an enlarged sectional side elevation of the upper portion of the target illustrating by full and dotted lines the normal and abnormal positions of the movable parts. Fig. 5 is a plan of the apparatus. In Figs. 2, 3 and 5 one of the eyes is shown put out by a ball, while the other is in normal position. Fig. 4 illustrates the manner of restoring the eye to normal condition.

The target 1 may be in the form of a board or sheet of metal erected upon a pair of pointed stakes 2 driven into the ground and having the form of a negros head as illustrated. Said head is provided with a pair of orifices or sockets 3 behind which stand a pair of eyepieces 4 in the form of flaps hinged at 5 upon brackets 6 fixed upon the rear side of the target 1, whereby the flaps are enabled to be moved from the normal full line position of rest to the abnormal dotted line position of rest at Fig. 4. Each orifice 3 is large enough to permit the passage therethrough of an ordinary base-ball, and the eye piece 4 is of substantially larger area so as to cover the rear of the orifice; said eye piece being provided with the representation of an eyeball as at 7. Each hinge 5 is considerably in rear of the bottom portion of its flap 4, so that the latter may \Vhen a ball strikes the flap, it swings back over the axis of the hinge 5, and then falls backwardly and down- Wardly to the dotted line position, Fig. 4 where it rests, whereby the eye-socket 3 is left open, so that the target has the appearance of having had one eye put out, thus giving visual evidence that the ball struck the eye. 1

When the eye pieces fall back they come to rest upon a horizontal supporting bar 8 which extends across the back of the target and is hinged thereto at 9, so that it may belifted by means of a cord 10 manipulated by the attendant to the dotted line position, seen at Fig. 4, whereby one or both eye pieces may be restored to normal positions. The bar or frame 8 may rest upon any suitable support 11. The cord 10 extends up from the bar 8 to a sheave 12 attached to the back of the target, and then downwardly to a sheave 13 fastened upon the floor or ground, and then forwardly at 10' to the attend ant who may be a great distance in front of the target. The frame 8 is a bail-like or U-shaped structure which can move freely down from the dotted line position at Fig. 4 past the elbow-like arms which support the eye pieces 4. When one or both eye-pieces have been knocked down, the cord 10 is pulled to raise the same from the dotted line position to the full line position; the normal position of 8 being shown in full lines. A slight upward movement of 8 from the full line position is sufficient to swing the eye-piece up so far around the pivot 5 that it will be caused by gravity to swing the rest of the way to normal position, whereupon the cord 10 may be'released and the device 8 dropped again to the full line position. .If however, the eye-piece 4 should stick at the hinge 5, the device 8 may be swung farther up as seen in dotted lines so as to bear against the back of the eye-piece and'press it forward. It is also a convenience in transportation to swing the part 8 to the dotted line position, as it renders the apparatus more compact.

In the mouth 14 of the target is cut an opening 15 through which a ball may pass, a net or bag 16 being hung back of the target to receive the ball 17 which is thrown through the mouth, the latter opening directly into the bag.

It will be seen that I have provided an attractive apparatus for testing the skill of a ball thrower, and that the device is made cheaply, of few parts, and not liable to injury.

It will be seen at Figs. 2 and 4 that considerable space at 18 is left between the movable eye piece 4 and the target 1. This is done so that the vibration of the target when struck by a misdirected ball will not knock the eye piece back; the latter being intended to move back only when it is itself struck by the ball. The rest 8 for the eye piece may be of any suitable construction, and should be placed at such a point that the forward and backward vibrations of the part against which the stop 8 rests (occurring when the target 1 is struck by-a ball) will not communicate violent vibrations to theflapA. In the form illustrated, the pressure between the part 8 and the bracket 6 is vertical, While the vibrations of the, bracket 6 and target 1 are in horizontal direction, so that violent vibrations are not communicated through the member 5 to the flap 4.

Variations may be resorted to withinthescope of my invention and portions of my improvements may be used without others.

Having .thus described my invention,,I claim 1. A head target having an, eye orifice, and an' ye-t ball flap hinged behinc l the orifice, so that it willgravitate both towards and away from normalposition.

2. A head-target having an eye orifice, and an eyeball flaplbehind thev orifice and hingedauponithe target, at a point in rear of the flap near the lower portion, thereof, so that normally theweight of the,flap, may tend to carry it forwardly and downwardly, and so that when the flap is swung back over the hinge itwill fall backwardly.

3. A head target having an eye. orifice, and an eye; ball flap behind the orifice and hinged upon the target at a point in rear of the vflap near ,the lower portion thereof, so that normally the weight of the flap may tend to carry it forwardly and downwardly; a rest being provided for the flap, of SUCIDCOIISUUCiZiQn.thilt thevibration ofthe target when struclnby aball will not swing the .flap

back, and the flap standing normally at a sufiicient dis tance behind the target to avoid being struck by the latter during its vibrations, whereby accidental recession oi ,the flap is avoided.

4. In combination, a head target having an eye orifice, an eye-ball flap mounted upon the target behind tne orifice and movable from a normal to an abnormal pooltion of rest, and manually operable means for returning the flap from abnormal to normal position; said returning means comprisinga movable flap-restorer mounted upon the target, a ,cord;connected thereto, and sheaves for guiding the cord.

v 5. In combination, a head target having an eye orifice, and an eye-ball flap hinged behind'the orifice, so that it maygravitate both=towards and-away from the target, asupporting device upon which the,.flapmay fall .when thrown back from the .target,,sai d, supportingdevice being hinged uponthe target, and means for-turning said supporting device to restore the ,flap to normal position.

6.-'I!1 combination, a head target-having eye orifices, a -,pair of, eye ball flaps, independently hinged behindv said orifices, each ;flap ,being, hinged. at apoint in rear of the flap near the lower portion thereof, so that normally the weight of the flap may tend to carry it forwardly and downwardly, and sdthat, when the flap is swung back over.,the,hinge,it will fall. backwardly, and a manuallyoperable restoring-bar constructed toengageboth flaps v to return them to normal positions,

l HERBERT A. SHAULES.

Witnesses DAVID W. Born, WrLLxAM nn Anoomos. 

